Gathering at the monastery of Sringeri in Karnataka, the Sangama brothers have anticipated the ebb of Delhi’s authority in the Deccan and the crumbling of the Hoysala kingdom. From these ashes will rise Vijayanagara, “City of Victory,” which will ascend to take its place among the great empires of the medieval world. Meanwhile, the Bahmani Amirs have established their own kingdom, one which will rival Vijayanagara in strength and culture for decades to come. And in the mountains to the northwest, Mongol hordes are gathering, their eyes fixed upon Delhi from above.
Vijayanagara: The Deccan Empires of Medieval India, 1290-1398 depicts the epic, century-long rise and fall of medieval kingdoms in India over two dynastic periods, for 1-3 players.
Vijayanagara is the first game in the new Irregular Conflicts Series. with gameplay inspired by GMT’s COIN system, players will take on the asymmetric roles of the Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Kingdom, and the Vijayanagara Empire, navigating event cards and unique action menus as they contest to write themselves into medieval Indian history. Players will rally local amirs and rajas to their cause, construct epic temples, forts, and qasbahs, and battle for supremacy over the Deccan plateau.
Highlights
1. A sweeping, century-long narrative and numerous epic events.
2. Playtime ~90 minutes.
3. Three asymmetric Factions with different strengths and abilities.
4. A fourth non-player Faction (Mongols) operated by the Bahmani and Vijayanagara players.
5. A new battle-resolution system with strength-dependent risk mitigation.
Vijayanagara is intended for players new to asymmetric wargames and veteran COIN players alike. The factions have distinct capabilities and each is faced with different strategic decisions, offering a very high degree of replayability. The game is streamlined: all player actions and most rules are visible on the table on player aids and cards.
Gameplay and turn order is organized around a deck of unique event cards. With each new card, factions have the option to carry out the event or to select from faction-specific Commands and special Decrees; Commands such as the Conscription of new troops, Governing in Tributary Provinces, and Migration to begin life anew, and Decrees ranging from Demanding Tribute, Conspiring with Delhi’s Governors to betray the Sultan, and forming new Alliances with minor regional powers.
Historical Background
It is 1290, and the Indian subcontinent is dominated by the Delhi Sultanate, its influence stretching from the mountains in the north to modern-day Madras in the southern peninsula. Wealthy kingdoms beyond the Vindhya range and deep into the Deccan plateau have caught the eyes of Delhi for generations, and governors have been sent out to the southern provinces to impose the Sultan’s demands of tribute. The Sultan’s quest for riches comes with some urgency; ever-looming is the threat of Mongol incursions from the northwestern frontier, requiring the continual purchase of foreign war-horses from Central Asia and the payment of troops.
But grand schemes of foreign conquest, currency blunders, and a disastrous attempt to move the capital from Delhi to Devagiri are laying bare its weaknesses under Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Rebellions are starting to spread throughout the south in the Deccan, to the west in Gujarat, and to the east in Bengal. Desperately needed tributary payments are falling into arrears, requiring forceful reminders from a royal army which is expensive to maintain.
By 1347 with the Sultanate’s might subsiding, two independent kingdoms have formed on opposite sides of the Krishna river in the Deccan plateau. Once-loyal governors forced by the Sultan to relocate from Delhi have conspired to form an independent Sultanate, the Bahmani Kingdom. Further south, the Sangama brothers have rallied Rajas across the land and founded the Vijayanagara Empire.
Although the oppressive tribute demands from Delhi have been cast aside, there remain fierce contests for important economic hubs, Goa and other port cities to the west, and the lush, fertile Raichur Doab between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers. Nayakas, warrior kings emerging from the embers of the Kakatiya dynasty, are aiding the Bahmani Kingdom in some contests of power and the Vijayanagara Empire in others. But the Sultanate may still have the power to reassert its control in this region, if it can balance its many pressing challenges.
The survival of each upstart kingdom will depend on its origin stories becoming infused with cult mythologies present in the region for centuries. One such origin story, the myth of the “Hare and the Hounds,” is even shared by both the Bahmani and Vijayanagara kingdoms. The narratives which are emerging from these early steps away from the Delhi Sultanate’s grasp, the foundational myths of these regional rivals, are beginning to spread throughout the land and into the spoken history.
